Yesterday was a great chance to hang with some of my favorite local authors at the final Washington Independent Writers annual convention. This is the last one only because next month that organization becomes the American Independent Writers - a local professional group that, with more than 1200 members, is going national. I particularly enjoyed the fiction writers’ presentation where John Gilstrap and Keith Donohue explained why, after several nice advances from publishers, they still work full time. And you should check out their great writing, too.

Happy Father’s Day to all the other dads out there.  I hope those you helped get a start in life remembered you and sent you a little gift, or a card, or made a phone call to thank you for your selfless service through the years.  Of course, the kids I raised are all way too busy moving forward with their lives to think of such things. 

Well, actually one daughter, Chrystal, did call to wish me a happy day.  And my son Adam has a good excuse, being in a nuclear submarine for the next few weeks, but luckily he has a wonderful wife who was thoughtful enough to send a very sweet card.  Perhaps I could trade her for the other three I fed and clothed all those years. 

Yes, sarcasm is just one more service we offer.

Crimespace is a social network with a narrower mission than MySpace or some others. It was designed as a place for readers and writers of crime fiction to meet. It’s a great site to find new authors to delve into and discuss the latest in crime fiction. Those of us with pages set up share photos, share videos and make some friends. If you’re a crime fiction fan, come to Crimespace, pull up a chair at the bar and share your poison.

I love a good, snappy comeback.

In one of the bookstores recently I observed two coworkers who were not working together very well. The younger fellow seemed to be thwarting the more mature woman at every turn, although it was clearly unintentional. At one point he tried to help her stack books on an end cap and somehow managed to spill books across an entire aisle. Trembling with frustration she said, "You were sent here by the devil himself just to destroy me, weren’t you?"

To which, the young man replied, "Well, yes, I am an agent of Satan… but my duties are largely ceremonial."

Saturday I braved 97 degree heat to journey to my first book signing at a Books-A-Million store. The store, at Potomac Mills, is a huge one, and because we are still learning each other, Books-A-Million ordered only one title, my flagship book, Blood and Bone. But even without multiple sales, I met a great number of new friends and signed quite a stack of books. I think that this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Sunday it was back to Borders, this time in Waldorf, Maryland. It was another good showing, not surprisingly, despite another blisteringly hot day. Of course, Borders always orders a full complement of my work, and having one gentleman hand me five novels to sign did impact the final results. It was a great weekend for book signing, but by the time I got home I was totally wrung out. Of course, I’ll do it all again when given the chance.

Also last week, my name popped up on one of my favorite blogs, "The Murder Circle." On her blog, Sunny Frazier shares news of her fellow crime writers, often connecting them one to another (hence the Murder Circle.) In this case, a mention of Troy Cook (author of The One Minute Assassin) serving as Toastmaster at Deadly Ink raised my name because I’ll also be at that conference (June 20-22) and my name connected her to my good friend Diane Marquette who writes the Chesapeake Conference Center mysteries.

this weekend I’ve got a double-header. I’m finally working with Books-A-Million this summer and I’m starting with the store in Potomac Mills. Saturday I’ll sign my novels there starting at 11 am. Since this is my first visit there I’m not sure how long the books they ordered will last. Stop by during your summer shopping. The store is at 2700 Potomac Mills Cir, Woodbridge VA.

And not to slight my Maryland friends, I’ll head for the Borders Books and Music in Waldorf on Sunday. That book signing, at 3304-A Crain Highway, is scheduled from 2 pm to 4 pm. So, depending on which state you’re closest to, find me and get your novels signed.

Those who know me well will tell you that my love of music comes close

to my love of a good mystery.  So it’s a pure joy to find a writer who

handles both my great artistic loves with flair.

I met Raymond Benson briefly at a writer’s convention, but it took me

until now to get around to his rock and roll thriller, "A Hard Day’s

Death."  Spike Berenger, who runs Rockin’ Security, has to investigate

when an aging classic rocker dies in an apparent suicide.  Suspects

and walk-ons include enough true progressive rockers to make me sure

that Ray is a music insider.  In fact, I think he must get drunk with

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull.

If you don’t know who that band is, maybe this one isn’t for you.

Those of you with a little more class, who also enjoy a great mystery,

will want to add "A Hard Day’s Death" to your personal library.

Check out Raymond Benson’s rocking novel.

BookTour.com is the world’s largest free directory of author events. Like thousands of other writers, I’ve created a page showing my biography, books and upcoming events. Readers can check the database of author events for the best of what’s nearby, or easily sign up to track their favorite authors on tour. Plus, there’s an easy way to invite me and other authors to your town, or get in touch with writers already scheduled to appear locally to address additional groups.

BookTour.com makes finding out when a favorite author is coming to your town simple, with a weekly e-mail based on your zip code. That’s how I know which of my author friends is signing nearby, and hopefully, how you’ll know when I’m in your neighborhood.